Blood pressure (BP) is a measurement of the force applied to the walls of arteries as the heart pumps blood through the body and is determined by the force and amount of blood pumped, and the size and flexibility of the arteries. Types of blood pressure include systolic and diastolic types. The systolic blood pressure corresponds to the pressure of blood when the heart has imparted the maximum pressure. The diastolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart is in the resting phase. Systolic and diastolic arterial BP is not static but undergoes natural variations from one heartbeat to another and throughout the day (in a circadian rhythm). Known systems use power spectrum information (such as in a Low or High Frequency bandwidth) to analyze blood pressure variability for detecting cardiac abnormality. However, blood pressure variability may be affected by many factors, such as age, disease, breathing control, physical condition, neurological status.
Know clinical methods for blood pressure waveform characterization typically require extensive clinical experience and knowledge. Known clinical methods are typically unable to detect early small changes in blood pressure magnitude from pressure waveform data. Known cardiac function analysis systems typically analyze an electrophysiological signal. However an electrophysiological signal is easily distorted and affected by electrical noise and biological artifacts, such as power line noise and patient movement. Known systems also fail to provide hemodynamic quantitative analysis for implantable cardiac devices (ICDs). A system according to invention principles addresses these deficiencies and related problems.